Her older sister (15), however, is on hers fairly often. She’ll text while watching movies. She’ll often talk to her boyfriend during the weekend she’s down here.

I am not a texter myself, but I don’t think it’s a waste at all. It’s faster than a phone call for little things, less intrusive for the receiver, less obtrusive for the sender, less likely to be annoying if the receiver is indisposed. For the pay as you, it can also be cheaper. It’s also much cheaper to get unlimited messaging than unlimited minutes.

Kim: Does Hanover text message? Do you think texting is a total waste of time? Personally, I don’t get it, except for very specific things, like occasionally communicating with my husband when he is in a boring meeting and can reply quickly via text. If it is valueless, then what the heck are all these kids doing all day? I don’t think I’d say they are addicted, but they sure seem to be wasting a lot of time for some reason. What do you think?

I don’t believe ‘necessity’ is the main criteria for determining what is worth purchasing for children. I can’t say for everyone else, but once I get past food, clothes, shelter, and educational materials, everything else is not necessary. And I sure have enough of that ‘other’ stuff to show that necessary is no where near the only reason I buy things for my kids.

Many of Scribbit’s other reasons were novel to me. I don’t believe that using electronics is a less valid reality than one that doesn’t involve electronics.

My daughter gloating about her possessions such as is implied by the ‘toys are status symbols’ reasoning is appalling. She may have a cell phone, but our finances are limited when it comes to many other aspects of modern living and my priorities in clothing tend toward Target instead of Hollister. The same thing can be said for ‘It’s important for kids to want things and not get them.’ Children are constantly moving the goal post. Once they get one thing it’s not as though they are never going to want another thing again. There are plenty of opportunities to deny children’s wishes to keep them humble. And again, my resources are not unlimited. I cannot give my children everything they want and thus they will always have some unattained desire.

Expensive I get. That is a very practical concern. The cell phone I got for Hanover was $50 (close out deal at Target) and I would normally spend twice that anyway. And the addicting argument seems really out of left field. If the technology is addicting, it’s because keeping in touch with people is addicting. And it’s way more fun to be in touch with your friends. Parents and kids who text instead of interacting weren’t going to interact without the phone anyway.

I think back to my childhood. I got in a lot of scrapes (as did my wife) and we *had* to resolve them ourselves since our parents, or other grownups, were basically inaccessible. I think there’s some real value in that.

Either of these can be resolved by either a firm stricture on emergency calls only or a child that is already used to handling his own problems. But kids like easy, as do adults, and I would be concerned that it could lead to a dependence that, while comforting and comfortable for both parties, is not in the interest of either.

Luckily, I’m in the same boat as you since it’s going to be a few years before it becomes a real issue.